Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Kitts and Nevis

AREA	St Kitts: 168.4 sq km (65.1 sq miles). Nevis: 93.2 sq km (36 sq miles). Total: 261.6 sq km (101.1 sq miles).
POPULATION	41,000 (1997).
POPULATION DENSITY	166.4 per sq km.
CAPITAL	Basseterre.
CAPITAL POPULATION	12,220 (1994).
GEOGRAPHY	St Kitts (officially known as St Christopher) lies in the northern part of the Leeward Islands in the eastern Caribbean. The high central body of the island is made up of three groups of rugged volcanic peaks split by deep ravines. The vegetation on the central mountain range is rainforest, thinning higher up to dense bushy cover. From here the island's volcanic crater, Mount Liamuiga, rises to almost 1200m (4000ft). The foothills, particularly to the north, form a gently rolling landscape of sugar-cane plantations and grassland, while uncultivated lowland slopes are covered with thick tropical woodland and exotic fruits such as papaya, mangoes, avocados, bananas and breadfruit. To the southeast of the island, a low-lying peninsula, on which there are many excellent beaches, stretches towards Nevis. 3km (2 miles) to the south and only minutes away by air or ferry across The Narrows channel is the smaller island of Nevis, which is almost circular in shape. The island is skirted by miles of silver-sand beaches, golden coconut groves and a calm, turquoise sea in which great brown pelicans dive for the rich harvest of fish. The central peak of the island, Nevis Peak, is 985m (3000ft) high and its tip is usually capped with white clouds. The mountain is flanked on the north and south sides by two lesser mountains, Saddle Hill and Hurricane Hill, which once served as look-out posts for Nelson's fleet. Hurricane Hill on the north side commands a view of St Kitts and Barbuda. On the island's west side, massed rows of palm trees form a coconut forest. There are pleasant coral beaches on the island's north and west coasts.
GOVERNMENT	Consitutional monarchy since 1983. Gained independence from the UK in 1983. Head of State: Queen Elizabeth II, represented locally by Governor General Sir Cuthbert Montroville Sebastian since 1996. Head of Government: Prime Minister Dr Denzil Douglas since 1995.
LANGUAGE	The official language is English.
RELIGION	Anglican and other Christian denominations.
STANDARD TIME	GMT - 4.
ELECTRICITY	230 volts AC, 60Hz (110 volts available in some hotels).

Posted in: countries